Birthday Tea Party!

Today is a special day! It is Jan's Birthday! Happy Birthday Jan! And she is having a Tea Party! I have brought out my Very Special Tea Set for the occasion.

You see, I got this set 16 years ago today. A gift from my Beloved. A wedding gift. Two days before our marriage. My future FIL had taken us and extended family (who were arriving for the wedding) out for dinner. DH and I had planned on exchanging our Wedding Gifts with each other that night. He said, "let's go by the house (his, soon to be mine as well, house) because you are going to want to leave it there... I got DH a Black and Decker Cordless Screwdriver. They were pretty much the new happening thing at the time and if you were a guy into tools and did not have one... Well that was what you wanted. At least, that was all my Groom-to-Be talked about. LOL!

I cannot tell you how delighted I was when I opened my gift! A teapot, creamer, sugar, 4 desert plates, 4 tea cups and 4 saucers. See how each cup, saucer and small plate are different? I just love that! And you are sure not to accidentally pick up someone else's cup. :-) My Groom said it is very "Missy" looking.

It is a Hazelberry Pattern made by Staffishire in England exclusivly for the Laura Ashley Company. Years later, as I walked by the shop, I saw they had dinner plates and DH bought me 4 for a gift to go with this set.

Oh look at the time!!! I need to get the scones baking and the kettle boiling. The party will start any minute!

Jan, I hope you enjoy your party! Scones with cheese, plain scones (served on my grandma's old pink Lu-Ray platter) with jam and Lady Londonderry Tea (was Princess Di's favorite). I've got the teawarmer all fired up and the tea is hot! Will that be one lump or two?

Happy Birthday and thank you for inviting me to your party! And for allowing me to share my very special Tea Set with you.

To go to Jan's Birthday Tea Party and see more participants click here and to go to Jan and Tom's Place.

Recipe
I love these tea cakes. They are called sugar cookies, but they are much like what my grandma made as a tea cake.

Puffy Heart Sugar Cookie
1 C White Sugar
1 stick Butter at room temperature
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 C milk
3 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp soda

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla and then beat until fluffy. Add milk. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to we ingredients, stirring gently to make a soft batter. It will be similar to a soft biscuit dough. Toll out on a floured surfact ot approximately 1/4" thickness (not too thin!). Cut out withh very basic heart (tea cup, pumkin, etc. any shape you would like) shaped cookie cutter and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. (Parchment not available, lightly grease sheet.) Bake approximately seven minutes until cookies puff up and are lightly brown on the bottom. Cool on rack and frost when cool.

Frosting
1 stick butter at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 tablespoon milk
(I also add a teaspoon of almond flavoring)

Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Add vanilla. Trizzle in milk slowly, adding a little extra if necessary to make a smooth frosting. beat until creamy and smooth. Separate frosting ito several bowls. Leave one white and tint the other different shades of pink using a little red food coloring. Frost the cookies in different shades. Sprinkle with multi colored cookie sprinkles or personalized with cake decorating frosting as you wish. Arrange on a platter with a pretty paper doily and enjoy!